Help! My Sago palms are dying...?

Question

I have sago palm "buds" (from a bigger sago palm)... I only have one that looks pretty good out of the six that I have. There's one that looks like it's been speckled with white paint and some that are starting to turn yellow and they're fronds are curling up. How can I save them and keep the one that looks good, well... looking good. lol

Answer 1

Palmer suggests vigilance and special concoctions. "So far, the best home remedy is horticultural oil, such as Ortho Volck or fish oil mixed with Malathion," he said. "But you have to wet the plant thoroughly and repeat the procedure  

Answer 2

Don't spray anything until you have a positive ID on the pest (white spots) A nursery or local extension office should be able to help you. Sagos are prehistoric plants. (but you knew that just by looking at it) It is not a palm but a cycad so don't treat it like you would a palm. They have a funny way of coming back from the dead sometimes. Don't let no fronds and yellow stalks convince you that they are dead. I've seen Sagos come back after more than a year without any fronds.

Make sure that you are not overwatering them. Too much water can cause the fronds to turn yellow. They are drought tolerant and they require good drainage so even if you are not watering too much, if your soil is on the clay side, it might be holding moisture in.

Don't remove any leaves! If your plant is stressed, removing the fronds will leave it open to other infections.

Answer 3

I can tell you exactly what the white spots are. It's Asian Cycad scale, and sagos all over are falling prey to it. Even though it doesn't look like an insect it definitely is. Here's a site with all the info you'll need. http://acs.ifas.ufl.edu/

Answer 4

The white speckles are bugs.  I can't remember what they're called but they're a common problem with sagos.  Make a mild solution of dish liquid and water.  Spray on tops and underneath the leaves.  Then wipe the little buggers off.  Repeat a few times over a couple of weeks.  That should do it.

Answer 5

Just keep watering and remove yellowed leaves.